Fūjin
by Kage Ryuu Tenshi
Summary: Most see Naruto as a loud, happy-go-lucky idiot but oh boy, they don’t know how wrong they are. Beneath the mask is a rare genius brimming with unsurpassed potential and power. Follow him on his quest to become Konoha’s strongest Shinobi: the Hokage. AU
1. Team 7

**Fūjin**

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Most see Naruto as this idiotic, happy-go-lucky gaki but oh boy, they don't know how wrong they are. Beneath the mask is a rare genius brimming with unsurpassed potential and power. Follow him on his quest to become Konoha's strongest Shinobi: The Hokage. AU

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**Main Relationship Focus: **Team 7 Friendship  
**Genres: **Action & Adventure, Drama, Friendship and Suspense  
**Rating: **T for violence and language  
**Length: **Epic  
**Warnings: **None yet.**  
Disclaimers: **This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by Kishimoto Masashi, various publishers including but not limited to VizMedia. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.  
**Beta(s): **Dray, Amber and her cute (kid-cute) son A.J

**A little background:** The title 'Fūjin' is actually the Japanese god of the wind and one of the eldest Shinto gods and yes, it's a reference to Naruto's bloodline limit and his future position of power.

**Author's Note: **I was actually reading the Decoding by Aduro where Draco was actually a genius, so I thought: Hey! I could do that with Naruto too! I know that there are a couple of fics like that out there already and some are actually pretty good. I wished to explore genius Naruto's character further and not merely put him down as a genius where everything is nice and rosy, without explaining or showing his character. So here's my take on Naruto as a genius. Enjoy!

Oh! I wrote this chapter to Let it Rock by Kevin Rudolf ft. Little Wayne (AWESOME SONG!)

**Additional Notes: **Below are the indicators of various formats used in this fic –

"_**Bold, Italic and in quotation marks" **_– Kyuubi**  
**_"Italics and in quotation marks" _– Naruto's responses or conversations with the Kyuubi  
_Italics and no quotation marks _– Naruto's thoughts to himself

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Chapter I: Team 7

Sharp azure eyes looked out of the dilapidated apartment's window and at the magnificent picture of the rising sun. Uzumaki Naruto ran a hand through his messy golden locks and quirked a corner of his lips.

Today was the day the Genin teams' members were announced. To the young boy, it was a new beginning. The day before yesterday was a disaster when he nearly revealed his true capabilities to Iruka-sensei. Thankfully, his mask held on and got him off scot-free. If Naruto were to be honest with himself, the pre-teen would admit that maintaining his 'alter-ego' was getting rather tiring. Granted, it made other people underestimate him and thus allowing him an ace up his sleeves against his opponents, but pretending to be happy when he felt otherwise was draining his emotional reserves.

Actually, speaking of aces, Naruto had many. The Kyuubi container understood, from a young age, that he had to appear harmless in order to keep himself alive. Any sign of a potential threat, the Council would spare no manpower in eliminating him. He decided the best way to do so was to act stupid and immature. It seemed to work well and even though it was energy-consuming, Naruto had to confess that he had fun planning all those infamous pranks.

If an IQ test were administered, the results would be shocking. Despite his young biological age, Naruto's mental age would be in the late twenties. His perceptiveness and ability to memorize and understand materials and situations were off the charts. Living alone and having to fend for oneself amidst all the animosity was a cynical recipe for someone to grow up quick.

He wasn't as naïve as they thought he was. Naruto was not in the dark about his background, thanks to a few clandestine night trips to the archives, and knew that the Yondaime was his father. It didn't take a genius to figure out once he managed to get his hands on a photograph of the powerful Shinobi.

He didn't hate his father. In fact, it merely increased his respect for the self-sacrificing hero and hardened his resolve to obtain that prestigious seat. It wasn't for his own benefits that Naruto wanted to prove his worth to a village who had abused him his whole life. Despite all the things that were done to him, the young boy still had an admirable desire to protect his home and its occupants. For what it was worth, Naruto understood the fear and hatred the people projected; if you couldn't hurt the real thing that caused you pain, hurt the thing closest to it. In Naruto's case, he was the closest thing to the Demon.

It wasn't all bad, Naruto mused, because at least he had some people he could depend upon: Iruka-sensei, Ichiraku ojii-san and Ayame-san would make time for him. Plus, the boy thought as he touched his forehead protector, there was no reason to let them down.

With one last look at his small apartment, Naruto locked the door and began his first day as a Genin. Since it was still at the crack of dawn, there weren't many people on the streets and nobody was awake enough to even bother to glare at him. So it wasn't such a bad start to a day; hopefully the streak of good luck would continue for a while.

Instead of going straight to the Academy, the blond boy made his way to an empty training ground. When he finished checking the area, Naruto immediately assumed a taijutsu stance and started going through his usual routines while listing ninjutsus in his head. Early on, the boy realized that although he could absorb information through all mediums but the best way to learn for him was through movement. He was a kinesthetic learner and Naruto was grateful for that because it doubled his rate of progress. After an hour of memorization, the twelve-year-old relaxed and then did a series of seals which was followed by a "Kage Tajuu no Bunshin!"

Twenty-four Shadow Clones appeared in a puff of smoke, solemn and ready for orders.

"Please Henge yourselves into different people and then meet me in the Library of Scrolls. Come in two minutes within each other and then we'll read for an hour." Academy was at eight so as long as Naruto could squeeze in a half-hour powernap, it would just even out and relieve the usual headache following the overload of information.

"Okay!" Two dozen puffs of smoke cleared to reveal henges of different heights, colouring, gender and age. Naruto scrutinized his clones carefully before nodding. "Alright, go." Twenty flashes of different colours bounded in various directions.

The small gaki stopped all movement and focused on that exact moment as he closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He was frozen for ten minutes before opening clear blue eyes that seemed all seeing. A breeze suddenly enveloped the boy in its embrace and swirled around him, cleansing him.

Naruto greeted the gentle current of air in a whisper, "Hello, Wind. What have you got to tell me?"

The boy closed his eyes again and his ears were assaulted with bits of pieces of conversations. Naruto furrowed his brows in concentration as he filtered through the debris, looking for relevant information.

"Thank you, that would be 25 ryos—"

"NO! I don't want to eat my broccoli! I—" Naruto chuckled and concentrated again.

"Your mission would be—" Even though he was curious, it was time to find something important, and after a few more switches, he finally found a conversation worth listening to.

"The brat cannot be trained as a Shinobi! He will only betray the Village and then set the Kyuubi no Youkai on us again!" A deep, slightly hysterical voice was punctuated with furious slaps to the wooden table and Naruto's face was set into a grim expression. Did they really have so little faith in him?

"Especially not on a team with the last surviving Uchiha heir! He will only corrupt the Uchiha and that is not an option if we want the Uchiha clan to be revived!" Another adamant voice, this time female, cut through the conversation and Naruto sighed. They did really have so little faith in him.

"I believe that it is tradition to put the last and the first in the graduating class; after all, Naruto passed the test and therefore he is a Genin of Konoha. He's going to be trained and he's not going to release the Kyuubi." A strong, calm, masculine voice filled with wisdom and experience effectively silenced the Council. Naruto smiled as he recognized the voice as the Sandaime's.

_Thank you, Ojii-san. _

"Now, if you all will excuse me, I've got some important paperwork to follow up on as the Hokage, so have a good day." The fox boy's smile became a full-blown grin, _You show them!_

Breaking his connection with the wind, Naruto opened his eyes and smiled at the air. "Thank you, Wind. I hope to hear from you soon."

The breeze caressed his scarred cheeks before flowing away. At least he knew the name of a team member. Sasuke Uchiha, the sole survivor of the ghastly Uchiha massacre six years before. The murderer had been his very own older brother, Itachi. In a way, the Jinchuuriki could relate to the Uchiha, having no one and to live with such horrible memories. However, Naruto knew that there was a distinct difference between him and the Uchiha: He was despised and hated while the other was admired and worshipped.

Naruto looked at his watch and saw that it was already seven-thirty. He performed the ram seal and said, "Kai!"

Information poured into his mind as the clones disappeared. It took only a second and Naruto was left with a whole lot of extra knowledge and a pounding headache. A feminine voice laden with authority and power purred.

"_**Gaki, what are you waiting for? I'm feeling the headache too, go get some sleep."**_

Naruto grinned weakly as he replied his 'prisoner', "_Right, sorry, Kyuu-sama."_

"_**I know the technique is useful, but seeing you in this state makes me question whether it was correct to teach it to you. Shut down now, I'll find you a nice place near the Academy for you to rest in. We'll talk more about it later."**_

"_Okay, and thank you…" _

Naruto's head went limp for a few moments before regaining its upright position again but when he reopened his eyes, it was not his usual blue, but red flecked with gold and a black slit down the middle. With inhumane speed, the fox lady found a nice spot underneath a large tree that was a minute from the Academy for her charge to rest in.

Smiling slightly, the Kyuubi closed her red eyes and retreated back into the back of her container's mind. Almost immediately, Naruto's accelerating healing rate kicked into action and the nagging headache subsided. Half an hour later as promised, the Fox woke the boy up.

"_**Gaki, it's time for your first day."**_

"_Hmm… okay, thanks for waking me up." _

"_**You're welcome and good luck."**_

The familiar presence in his mind decreased to a slight pulsing that was nearly unnoticeable and Naruto stretched before making his way to the classroom. When Naruto reached his destination, most of the children were already seated and the young blond took his usual place in the very last row. That seat at the back of the classroom had been his for the last two years and truth to be told, it had been enlightening to able to observe his classmates from his objective perspective, far away from their circles and chatter.

There was Yamanaka, Akimichi and Nara seated together in the middle row of the classroom. Ino was alternating between staring at Sasuke and glaring at Sakura, while the Chouji was munching happily away on a big bag of chips and the Shikamaru was snoozing with his head nestled in his arms. Naruto mentally snorted but he had to give it to the Nara, whose IQ most probably rivaled his.

To Naruto, Chouji was the least interesting of the three because he was probably just like his formidable father and the only thing worth investigating was the unique recipe of their infamous soldier pills. Shikamaru had potential and so did Ino, who could prove to be a formidable psychological expert if given the right training. Naruto deduced that the three youngsters would be put into the same team, just as their parents were. It was human nature to like what worked and to keep what worked.

Kiba, near the middle, made himself known with a loud guffaw and was accompanied by a white puppy, a symbol of the Inuzuka clan. After a few days of observation, Naruto concluded that the boy was too brash and loud to actually stay alive for long. Dressed in a white, high-collared coat was Aburame Shino, seated at the far back. Silent and stoic, Naruto thought that the other boy would be the closest to understanding how he felt with the Aburame being the host for his swarm of insects.

Naruto's gaze fell on a small, soft-spoken girl with pale Byakugan eyes startlingly soft on this Hyuuga girl. The Jinchuuriki recognized the young girl as the heir to the most powerful clan in Konoha early on. However, nothing about this girl indicated her status. The eldest daughter of Hyuuga Hiashi was unbearably shy and soft-spoken. It was only on the third day of observing that the blond boy was able to dispel his suspicion of her being mute. Nonetheless, the young Hyuuga's skill with the Jyuuken and taijutsu would make her a valuable member of any team she was going to be part of.

Uchiha Sasuke was impossible to miss in this group of rather cheery children. At the mere age of eleven, the kid was already familiar with the concept of teenage angst. Naruto rolled his eyes mentally. Brooding and moody all the time, the sole survivor of the Uchiha massacre glowered at anyone who even dared come close to invading his personal bubble. Unfortunately, the girls in the class seem to appreciate the whole 'fuck off cuz I'm too good for you and my whole family is dead because of me' attitude a little too much.

Now knowing that the Uchiha was one of his two team members, Naruto evaluated the other boy once more. The boy acknowledged the fact that his teammate had potential but he seemed a little unstable. Knowing how the Uchihas were like from the accounts he gathered, he surmised that the boy would be too focused on getting powerful enough to pose a real threat to Itachi than to care for building team relationships. That would be something he would have to work on with Sasuke if he wanted to climb the Shinobi ladder.

A vivid flash of pink signaled the presence of Sakura, Naruto knew for a fact that the girl was very intelligent and had excellent chakra control as demonstrated in her efficient Henges but she was still stuck on _her _Sasuke. The young gaki shook his head and smiled wryly but conceded that she had a rather rosy future as a medical Nin if she managed to get over her adolescent crush. It was rather nauseating and a waste of precious energy and time.

"Good morning! And congratulations in passing the exams, you're all Genins!" Iruka was bright and cheery with no signs revealing the fight that resulted in a rather serious injury to the back.

"Good morning, Iruka-sensei!"

"Alright, today's your first day as Genins and you will be placed in teams of three. You will be part of this team for the next year or until you move on to Chuunin level.

"Team 10 will consist of Yamanaka Ino—" Naruto saw the blonde girl praying. The boy sighed inwardly; it was probably a prayer for her to be in Sasuke's team but it wasn't going to happen, "—Nara Shikamaru and Akimichi Chouji."

Sakura's "YES!" could be heard miles away while Ino glowered, Shikamaru merely muttered something, and Chouji continued munching on his barbeque-flavored chips.

"Team 7's members are Uchiha Sasuke—" this time it was Sakura's turn to press her palms together and squeeze her eyes shut, "—Haruno Sakura and—" Iruka was interrupted with Sakura's squeal and another one of her loud yeses.

Iruka cleared his throat and the pink-haired girl smiled sheepishly but kept quiet, "—and Uzumaki Naruto."

"WHAT?! I'M NOT GOING TO BE IN A TEAM WITH THE CLASS'S DEAD LAST!" Sakura's shrill voice caused a few flocks of birds to scatter into the sky in a hurry. Iruka sighed and explained.

"Sakura-chan, you have no choice in team members and it has always been a tradition to place the graduating class's first and last in the same team."

_Gee, thanks, Iruka-sensei. Like I need to be reminded of my current standing in class… _Naruto rolled his eyes and then Sasuke spoke up.

"Sit down, Sakura, I don't really care as long as the dobe doesn't get in my way." The blond boy realised that it was his time to shine and he hopped on his table and shouted.

"WHO ARE YOU CALLING DOBE, TEME?!"

_Here it goes… _thought Naruto and he wasn't disappointed when the pink-haired member of their team voiced her opinion on that matter.

Loudly.

"HOW DARE YOU CALL SASUKE-KUN THAT HORRIBLE NAME? SHUT UP!!! YOU ARE IN NO PLACE TO CALL HIM THAT! YOU NEED TO SHOW SOME RESPECT FOR PEOPLE WHO ARE UNDOUBTEDLY BETTER AND MORE TALENTED THAN YOU ARE!!"

Naruto raised an eyebrow mentally and thought, _Woah, she has got it bad…_

"Enough! Both of you should be ashamed of yourselves! Fighting within seconds of being a team! Sit down!"

Naruto made a mental note to send the man something good for Christmas as he put on a show, scratching his head sheepishly and grinning idiotically.

"Yes, before I was _rudely_ interrupted, members of Team 8 will be Inuzuka Kiba, Hyuuga Hinata and Aburame Shino.

"Once again, congratulations, and I hope you all will do the Academy proud. You will meet your Jounin senseis in the next building." As a whole class, the nine Genins stood up and bowed respectfully to the shinobi.

"Arigato Gozaimasu, Iruka-sensei!"

Naruto was amused to see the kind teacher tear up slightly and then he ushered the nine students out of the classroom. The blond boy was the last one to leave the classroom and before he managed to step out, he was held back by a hand to his shoulder.

"Naruto-kun, after your first meeting with your Jounin-sensei, why don't you meet me at Ichiraku's and I'll treat you ramen for passing."

Naruto froze and his eyes widened. He honestly did not really know what to say as something lodged in his throat so he nodded jerkily and ran out.

_Iruka-sensei just…_

"_**Well, I told you that you weren't alone."**_

Smiling a little, Naruto ran to catch up with his teammates. He was then directed to a small room where Sakura and Sasuke were already there. Sakura was still glaring at him with all she had while the other boy was ignoring him. Naruto took a seat opposite the pair and started tapping his 1-3-2-4 rhythm with his fingers.

An idea suddenly popped into head. It was perfect because it would maintain his prankster image but also test out his new sensei's abilities. There was a duster in the classroom and Naruto grabbed it, nimbly placing in on top of a slightly ajar door. Sakura actually looked excited while Sasuke scoffed and said, "He's never going to fall for that; he's Jounin, not a dobe like you."

"WHAT DID YOU CALL ME?!"

Naruto made another mental note to get some lozenges to soothe his sore throat from the pharmacy later.

"Okay, okay. Just wait before you two fight it out because I want to see how this plays out." Naruto was surprised by the authoritative voice Sakura adopted. Perhaps there was some potential for leadership as well, Naruto added into his mental file of his female teammate.

The door opened slightly and then the duster obeyed the rules of gravity, only to end up on top of a mop of silver hair. Sasuke and Sakura widened their eyes, shocked at how easy it was. Naruto could see the sentence, "Holy shit, we've got a really lousy Jounin for a teacher, we're so screwed," going through their minds.

Naruto stared as his teacher because he recognized Konoha's Copy Ninja, and if he remembered correctly, Hatake Kakashi was known to be an exceptionally skillful ninja, a child prodigy who attained Chuunin rank at the age of 6 and became a Jounin at age 13. His father was Hatake Sakumo, known as the "White Fang" of Konoha and a genius ninja on par with the Legendary Sannin. His aliases referred to the fact he copied more than a thousand jutsus using his left eye, which was the Sharingan.

Interesting, concluded Naruto as he smirked inwardly.

"_**I think I'm going to enjoy this." **_

Naruto could hear the smirk from the demon's words and laughed in his head. The Jounin gestured for his team to leave the room and two minutes later, the four-man team found themselves on top of a building. There was silence for a while before the tall man spoke up.

"Hmm… How can I say this? My first impression is that… I don't like you guys."

Sakura's jaw dropped and Naruto forced his own to follow as he tried desperately to rein in his laughter. Sasuke was still stoic but you could see a tic forming on his forehead.

"Okay," the man spoke up again, "let's begin with some introductions."

"What do you want to know?" Sakura, always the teacher's pet, asked politely.

"Dreams for the future, hobbies, stuff like that."

Naruto decided that it was time to introduce his idiotic self. "Hey, hey! Why don't you introduce yourself to us first?"

The shinobi turned a bored eye to look at him and Sakura backed him up. "Yeah… you look suspicious."

"Oh… me?" Naruto never wanted to laugh so badly in his life. "My name is Hatake Kakashi. I have no desire to tell you guys about my likes and dislikes…"

Something resembling respect was starting to build in Naruto.

"_**This looks promising."**_

Naruto nodded mentally and then Sakura made herself known again, "So… all we've learned is… his name?"

Before anyone could answer, the Jounin changed the topic and his voice was filled with forced cheerfulness. "Now it's your turn, from the right."

Time for Naruto-the-idiot to make an appearance. "Me!!! Me!! My name is Uzumaki Naruto. I like cup ramen!!! What I like even more is the restaurant ramen and what I dislike is waiting three minutes for the cup ramen to cook."

_There, that would be enough to make sure that they'll see me as the idiot, but I can't let them see me as a complete idiot. Okay, I'll tell them my goal._

"My dream… is to surpass the Hokage!!! And then… have all the people of this village to acknowledge my existence!!!"

_Oh shit, I revealed too much. Need to change tactics!_

"Hobbies…" Naruto scratched the back of his head. "Pranks… I guess."

Their sensei's visible eye glittered thoughtfully but his gaze switched to the next person due to explain. "Next."

"My name is Uchiha Sasuke. There are tons of things I dislike but I don't really like anything. And… I don't want to use the word 'dream,' but… I have an ambition: the resurrection of my clan and… to kill a certain man."

_I thought so. We really got to work on the whole anger management thing; it's getting rather unhealthy. _

Kyuubi laughed.

"Okay… and lastly, the girl." Sakura seemed to be bouncing on the spot as she introduced herself.

"I'm Haruno Sakura. The thing I like is… well, the person I like is… umm… should I say my dream for the future…? OH MY!"

Naruto was amazed at the redness of the flush the girl managed to produce, and the Jounin seemed to be a little weird-ed out as well.

"The thing I dislike… is Naruto."

_Ouch, that actually hurt…_

"My hobby is…"

Naruto saw the pink-haired girl glancing at the brooding boy beside her and he felt an inkling of sympathy for the Uchiha. _It must be damn annoying…_

"Okay! That's enough of that. We will start our duties tomorrow."

That was a cue for Naruto-the-idiot, who shouted his joy.

"YAY!!! What kinds of duties?!!! Duties!!! Duties!!!"

"First, we are going to do something with just the four of us."

"What?! What?!"

The blond boy grimaced inwardly and thought, _Well, that would probably cement my status as the team idiot. _

Kakashi merely give the team something resembling a devious look with his lone eye and mysteriously answered, "Survival training."

"Alright, team dismissed and I'll meet you on Training Ground Seven at seven tomorrow morning."

The two Genin nodded while the Uchiha grunted, "Hn."

Their Jounin sensei was gone in a flash and Sakura stared while Naruto wondered, _Will I be as fast in the future? _

He also had a weird feeling that told him that things wouldn't start tomorrow at seven…. Then Naruto remembered his appointment with Iruka-sensei and gave a loud goodbye before running off in the direction of the town. He got there in a matter of seconds and when Iruka-sensei saw him, the man's face lightened with a smile. Naruto felt something warm fill his heart and he quickly made his way to sit beside his sensei.

He was right, Naruto concluded once again, about the day being a new beginning.

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I hope everyone enjoyed that! It's compensation for not updating for sooo long :D

Cheers,  
Kage


	2. The Infamous Bell Test

**Fūjin**

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People see Naruto as this idiotic, happy-go-lucky gaki but oh boy, they don't know how wrong they are. Beneath the mask is a rare genius brimming with unsurpassed potential and power. Follow him on his quest to become Konoha's strongest Shinobi: The Hokage. AU

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**Main Relationship Focus: **Team 7 Friendship  
**Genres: **Action & Adventure, Drama, Friendship and Suspense  
**Rating: **T for violence and language  
**Length: **Epic  
**Warnings: **None yet.**  
Disclaimers: **This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by Kishimoto Masashi, various publishers including but not limited to VizMedia. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.  
**Beta(s): **Dray, Amber and her cute (kid-cute) son A.J

**A little background:** The title 'Fūjin' is actually the Japanese god of the wind and one of the eldest Shinto gods and yes, it's a reference to Naruto's bloodline limit and his future position of power.

**Additional Notes: **Below are the indicators of various formats used in this fic –

"_**Bold, Italic and in quotation marks" **_– Kyuubi**  
**_"Italics and in quotation marks" _– Naruto's responses or conversations with the Kyuubi  
_Italics and no quotation marks _– Naruto's thoughts to himself

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Chapter II: The Infamous Bell Test

"Hey, guys, good morning."

It was ten minutes past eleven and the three Genins of Team 7 seethed as they saw their Jounin sensei strolling down the dirt path as if he was not late. This time, the loudness and anger was deliberate as Naruto and Sakura shouted at the _very _latecomer.

"YOU'RE LATE!!!"

_By two hundred and fifty minutes… The amount of books I could read in that time…_

"_**Forget about the time that has already slipped through your fingers. Focus."**_

"_Hai."_

The Kyuubi merely chuckled and retreated again. Naruto sighed mentally and then demanded for the test in his usual, hyperactive manner.

"WHATCHA WAITING FOR?! GIVE US THE TEST!!!"

The Jounin cocked an eyebrow and took out a timer from his rucksack. Everyone stared at the contraption and Sakura inquired, "Er, what is that for?"

Was it just Naruto's imagination or was that an evil glint of glee in the brown eye?

"This is a timer and it's set for noon."

Yep, it wasn't his imagination; that evil glint of glee really did exist and it's _real_ bright now. The lanky man took out two silver bells from his belt and dangled them from two fingers. The metallic bells caught the sunlight and shone brightly.

"Here are two bells. Your task is to take these from me before the time's up."

The glint decidedly became even more evil as the Jounin continued, "Those who don't have a bell by noon… get no lunch. I'll not only tie you to one of those stumps, but I'll also eat right in front of you."

_So that's why he told us not to eat…_

A stomach growl rumbled and three sets of eyes landed on the stoic Uchiha whose cheeks were tinged with a faint pink. Naruto smirked and thought, _So he's human after all…_

"You only have to get one bell. There are only two so one of you will definitely be tied to the stump."

Naruto groaned comically, "Aww man!"

"And," their sensei's cheerful demeanour changed into something darker as he finished his sentence in a dead serious tone, "the person who doesn't take a bell fails so at least one of you will be sent back to the academy."

Naruto raised a mental eyebrow. _Does he think that we're idiots or what? I haven't heard of a two-man team. It's impossible to have a team with less than three people. Either we pass or fail as an entity; there's no failing one of us. I don't think anyone will fall for that stupid lie…_

The blond boy looked at his dumbfounded female teammate who looked on the verge of a breakdown and surprisingly, a glint of apprehension in their stoic teammate's dark eyes. Naruto sighed inwardly, _I take that back, there are people stupid enough to fall for that. Oh well, I guess I will have to play along, too... and I think there's something deeper to this…_

"If you want, you can use shurikens and kunais; you won't succeed unless you come at me intending to kill."

"BUT YOU'LL BE IN DANGER!!"

Naruto cringed, not only because his sensitive hearing really was going to get damaged sooner or later, but also because he realized that his pink-haired teammate was _really _naïve. Their teacher was a Jounin and that meant professional Shinobi, individuals with a certain level of skills who weren't going to get killed by a bunch of twelve-year-olds playing with weapons…

But he had an image to maintain, so…

"Yeah! You're so slow you can't even dodge a blackboard eraser!! We'll definitely kill you!"

_Not._

"In the real world, those with no talent often bark the loudest. Well, ignore Mr. Dead Last and start when I say…"

Naruto resisted the urge to roll his eyes and then charged at his sensei with a kunai in his hand; after all, he was the team idiot. But not without thinking: _I am going to hurt for this stupid performance…_

True to his Jounin status, Kakashi quickly stopped the charging blond with a hand to his head and he twisted Naruto's hand effortlessly to direct the kunai's sharp point at the smaller boy's neck. Judging from his teammates' facial expressions, Naruto gathered that they didn't see their sensei's movements.

"Calm down," came Kakashi's cool voice, "I haven't said start yet."

"_**Great show. Now pay attention, gaki, this is a Jounin."**_

"Well, it seems you're finally prepared to come at me with the intent to kill. So you've finally acknowledged me?"

Naruto bristled outwardly but he smirked inwardly. _You have no idea.... Kakashi-sensei..._

The Jounin chuckled and said, "It seems like I'm beginning to like you guys. Okay, let's get going."

"Ready…"

His teammates crouched into a sprinting position and Naruto did the same.

"BEGIN!"

The three Genins leaped out of sight quickly into different directions. Naruto found an interesting spot in a tree and performed a simple Genjutsu before effectively suppressing his chakra. Once he was set, the Kyuubi's voice rang out in his head.

"_**The most important thing for a Shinobi is to be able to hide yourself well."**_

"_You gave me that lesson when I was six." _

"_**Well, that's the lesson your sensei is trying to teach your teammates; remember, not everyone's at your level."**_

"_Sorry, I'll listen better next time." _

"_**So how are you going to get the bell?"**_

"_I'm going to wait for the two others to try out first before deciding on anything. I've got five options but nothing's set in stone."_

"_**Alright, I'll leave you to observe. I'm going to take a nap." **_

The Kyuubi's presence lessened and Naruto turned his attention to his sensei, who was standing in plain sight in the middle of the large opening.

_I think Sakura would try first because she's so damned nervous with all the adrenaline coursing through her veins; she's itching for some action._

True to his predictions, the pink-haired girl appeared soon enough as she ran towards her sensei with intent burning bright in her green eyes. The Jounin seemed a little surprised to see the girl first. Naruto chuckled inwardly and observed that Kakashi seemed to be rather pleased with that look in his student's eyes.

Sakura suddenly stopped and Naruto narrowed his eyes to see better. It turned out that Kakashi was rummaging through a little pouch and Sakura was eyeing him suspiciously.

"Shinobi fighting lesson number one: Taijutsu. I'll teach you about it." Naruto's heightened senses allowed him to see and hear everything clearly, even at a distance.

_He's going to use a weapon?_

What made an appearance from the pouch nearly caused the blond gaki to fall out from his hiding place. Sakura's jaw dropped when she saw the title of the small orange book, "Icha Icha Paradise."

Naruto blanched and then he fought his giggles as he thought, _I didn't know that our sensei was a pervert…_

"Sensei! Why are you reading in the middle of a fight?"

The man didn't even look up from his book as he replied, "I just want to know what happens next but don't worry, it won't make a difference against you guys."

Sakura just looked even angrier and Naruto was intrigued.

"I'LL TOTALLY KICK YOUR ASS!"

_Man, that girl has one hell of a temper… If left alone, it's going to be a liability to the team…_

The girl launched herself in the air and aimed her elbow at her sensei's head. Naruto watched as it was about to hit the Jounin, who was still reading the book at a leisurely pace. The boy wasn't disappointed when the man blocked the move easily while not watching at all.

_He's got some skills…_

Sakura tried again and again as she got more incensed by the second but Kakashi blocked or ducked her attacks without any effort on his part. Suddenly, Sakura lost sight of her sensei.

"A shinobi isn't supposed to get caught from behind, girlie."

"Wha—" Sakura didn't even manage to finish her word before dropping limply onto the ground after Kakashi hit a pressure point. Naruto had to admit that he was slightly impressed. He also knew that somewhere amongst the bushes, Sasuke was watching, too.

_I think I should find Sasuke now and we have to work together. There's no way to beat him alone. _

Apparently that was what the other boy thought too as they found each other in the midst of thick trees.

"Dobe…" Sasuke seemed reluctant to ask first so Naruto did it for him with his idiot persona.

"As much as I hate you, teme, I think we need to work together! Did you just see what he did with Sakura-chan?! He just—"

"Okay, keep your voice down, dobe. I don't want him to find us, so shut up."

The boys spent fifteen minutes drawing up a plan; it was mostly Sasuke's efforts but Naruto did what he could without revealing himself too much. When it was done, both boys looked at each other and there was something there. Naruto smiled inwardly. _I think we're going somewhere here…_

"Hey, if you guys don't get a bell before noon, you won't get lunch." Kakashi's voice rang out as the Jounin wondered where his students were. He took a look at the timer and saw that there was only another twenty minutes left.

As if answering him, Naruto appeared, charging at him with a loud yell. The Jounin sighed and then went through almost the same procedure with Sakura before throwing him into the nearby river. When the blond boy got out, Kakashi stood above him.

"You know the terms of the test, right? No bell, no lunch."

"I KNOW, I KNOW!!!"

Kakashi sighed and looked down at him. "You sure are weak for someone who's going to surpass the Hokage."

"KUSO! I CAN STILL FIGHT ON AN EMPTY STOMACH! I WAS A LITTLE CARELESS, THAT'S ALL!!"

The Jounin cocked his head to a side and then imparted another piece of advice before turning his back to his blond student to continue reading his book, "Carelessness can be your worst enemy, you know."

_Yep, and you're gonna get reacquainted with that lesson, too… _

"KAKASHI-SENSEI!"

"Hn?" The man turned around at Naruto's shout and then six kunais flew out of the bushes, aimed for the Jounin. The weapons pierced the man's head but Naruto knew that the man would use the Kawarimi no Jutsu to substitute. It wasn't any less gory and it was a topic discussed between the boys and they had agreed to continuously throw weapons from different directions. The man continued dodging, hopefully unsure of the Uchiha's position.

Unbeknownst to the Jounin, the random and rapid weapons were actually traps activated by Sasuke's real attacks. Suddenly Sasuke shot out of the bushes to attack their teacher and his foot connected with the man's hand, sending the man a few feet back. Then a dance of Taijutsu commenced.

Sasuke spun his other leg in an attempt to land a hit, only to be blocked, but the Uchiha was not to be deterred as the boy twisted his body around and tried a punch. The display of flexibility was impressive and the Jounin looked challenged for a moment. Naruto joined in and it was a flurry of blocks, kicks, punches and twists. Sasuke then tried a midair roll with his leg out and it connected with Kakashi's arm. Upside down, the Uchiha caught a glimpse of the bells and made a grab for, only to miss them by a fraction of an inch.

"Kakashi-sensei!" Naruto suddenly shot out of the bushes holding a purple book that looked rather similar to Kakashi's orange version. The blond by the Jounin's side disappeared and the man widened his eyes. Kakashi was distracted by the title of the newest book of the adult series, "Icha Icha Heaven!" and his eyes widened; he hadn't gotten a copy yet because it was to be released tomorrow. The blond grinned foxily and opened the book right in the middle, shouting, "I'M GOING TO SPOIL THE NEWEST ICHA ICHA BOOK FOR YOU, SENSEI!"

Kakashi actually shut his eye and Naruto laughed. When the Jounin reopened his eyes, he saw the Uchiha smirking at him and a shit-eating grin on the container's face. Kakashi's eyes widened when Sasuke held up two silver bells in between his fingers mockingly and blank pages met the Jounin's eyes.

Then the man did the last thing the boys expected him to do: Laugh his ass off.

"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

It took quite a while for Kakashi to get over the bout of laughing; while he was doing just that, Sakura woke up and joined her teammates. She looked around confusedly and asked, "What happened?" Then she saw the bells in her crush's hand. "Sasuke-kun! You got the bells! Wow, you're so smart!"

Sasuke leveled a calm glance at his female teammate and drawled, "It's not just me; the dobe contributed, too. The book was his idea. Stupid but workable since it got Kakashi-sensei."

"WHAT?!"

Naruto saw his cue to guffaw loudly and scratch the back his head modestly. Then his stomach growled loudly and Kakashi straightened, regaining his cool composure once more.

"Well, congratulations on getting the bells. I said that the two who had the bells would get lunch but I don't remember saying that whoever got the bells automatically passes. So let's get some lunch, and sorry, Sakura-chan, you're on the stump." The man did not sound sorry at all as he led the three Genins to the timer and the stump.

The silver-haired man rummaged through his bag and handed one bento each to Sasuke and Naruto, then tied Sakura to the stump. The girl glowered at her teacher but she didn't struggle because that was the rules of engagement.

"You guys look really hungry. Oh, and by the way, something about the training…Well, there's no need for you guys to go back to the Academy."

Sakura shouted for joy from her restricted position, "THEN!! THEN!! ALL THREE OF US…!!!"

The man was smiling as his lone eye curved. "Yup, all three of you should quit as shinobi!" That even got a surprised stare from the Uchiha. Then Naruto remembered something he read from the archives and widened his eyes.

_Holy! I remembered his list of past students and their records… There were__** none**__!_

Naruto suddenly remembered his role and shouted, "QUIT AS SHINOBIS?! WHAT DOES THAT MEAN?! WE GOT THE BELLS!!"

"Because all of you are just punks who don't deserve to be shinobis."

Sasuke narrowed his eyes and dashed straight for their rude teacher and ended up being sat on by the Jounin who had the Uchiha's hands firmly in his grasps. "See what I mean?"

"NO! DON'T STEP ON SASUKE-KUN!!!"

Naruto resisted the urge to roll his eyes. _Is that all she can think about right now? That Sasuke was being sat on? Seriously, she needs to get her priorities straightened out if she wants to be a good shinobi…_

"The Uchiha and the blond may have a chance, but you—" he stared at Sakura coldly, "—you have no chance _at all_."

Naruto had to say something.

"Hey, you! We're a three-man team and we stay as a three-man team! Nobody's leaving or failing; we're just starting to learn the ropes and Sakura-chan will become better and stronger than you! Screw you and your decisions, if you're not willing to teach us, then we'll find someone else to help us!"

What surprised Naruto was that he actually meant it, every single word of it. Sakura sent him a grateful look and Sasuke added his piece as he gritted out from beneath the Jounin, "We stay as a team."

"Yeah! We stay as a team!"

"HOW DARE YOU GO AGAINST A TEACHER?!" Kakashi suddenly thundered and the three Genin gulped but held on. Sasuke was released from his captive state when the man leaped up in fury.

"We stand by our words and we're not afraid of you!" Sakura shouted at the Jounin and then just as the man was going to shout at them again, Kakashi changed his demeanour completely and he was scarily cheerful now.

"Pass."

"Wha?" Sakura was confused and Sasuke frowned. Naruto smirked inwardly. _So it was a test..._

"Pass? But why?" Sakura asked, still utterly confused.

"You guys are the first."

"Huh?" Naruto pasted a stupid look on himself and Kakashi elaborated.

"Everyone else would just do whatever I told them. They were all just morons; if I told them they failed, they just gave up and left. Nobody went against me before in defense of the whole team."

Kakashi smiled, his lone eye curved again. "This is called teamwork and it's important because it determines a shinobi's life or death in some situations. A shinobi must see underneath the underneath. Those who break the rules and codes of the shinobi world are called trash… but you know what? Those who don't take care of their comrades are… _lower than trash_." The soliloquy ended in a serious mood. Naruto felt the respect he had for his new sensei raise a few notches.

_This guy actually knows what he's doing and he's pretty cool…_

"That ends the training! All of you pass! Okay! Starting tomorrow, Team Seven will begin its duties!"

Naruto felt a need to cheer and this time, it was sincere.

"YAY! I did it! We did it! We're shinobis!"

Sakura joined in the cheering and Sasuke couldn't help but crack a small smile, too. Naruto caught it and thought, _Well, he's not all hopeless…I think this is going to work; I really think so..._

Another loud growling from someone's stomach destroyed the moment and again, all three pairs of eyes were on the Uchiha, who shrugged unrepentantly and answered, "I didn't eat breakfast."

"Alright—" their sensei released Sakura and gave her a bento, "—dig in."

"**_Congratulations, gaki. That was entertaining; I especially liked that trick you did with the book. That was pretty," _**the fox demon chortled, **_"funny." _**

"_Thanks, Kyuu-sama." _

"_**That bento isn't going to satisfy you; I think it's time for you to find suitable substitution, especially when you will most likely have missions outside the village."**_

"_Hmm… that's something to think about. I need something light but substantial so…" _

"_**Definitely not dried ramen all the time, it's not healthy." **_

"_I can't help it, it just tastes so good! Hey! Maybe I could check out power bars or something similar… it'd be easy to carry. I'll research about that tomorrow. Right now, I just want to sit and take a break." _

"_**Sure, and congratulations again."**_

"_Thanks."_

Naruto looked at his team and quirked a small smile as he observed Kakashi, Sasuke and Sakura. Everyone was eating and nothing was said but there was something there and the blond reveled in the connection. Sakura then made a move to sit beside Naruto.

"Hey, Naruto?"

"Hmm?" The girl actually looked apologetic as she wringed her hands nervously.

"About the thing I said just now… that the thing I disliked most was you? I take that back now… thanks for sticking up for me. Things wouldn't have turned out like this if you didn't help me…"

Naruto was shocked but covered his surprise quickly before giving the pink-haired girl a bright smile. "It's okay, I'm used to that kind of reaction—" Sakura became slightly worried and confused again while their sensei's eyes dulled in sympathy, "—so it didn't really do anything. There's no need to thank me, that's what teammates are for. We're a team, so yeah, it's nothing."

The girl suddenly smiled brightly and nodded, "Okay. I'm glad to be in your team, Naruto."

The blond boy was touched and couldn't trust himself to speak without his voice breaking so he nodded.

"Hey, dobe," Sasuke's voice broke through Naruto's musings, "we should work out a time to train together." The dark-haired boy turned to Sakura. "You, too. So let's talk about our strengths and weaknesses, and what we want to work on. I don't want to waste time."

Kakashi looked like a proud parent as he observed his students without interrupting them. Naruto spoke up first but was careful not to reveal too much.

"I don't tire easily and chakra's not an issue, I think. My taijutsu is alright but that's about it." Sasuke nodded curtly.

"I'm above average in ninjutsu and taijutsu, but I need to increase my chakra stores and work on genjutsu."

Sakura thought for a while before replying.

"Erm… I'm good at chakra control but I don't have a lot; I think my taijutsu is weak, too. I think I need training in everything." The girl had a downcast look on face; Naruto patted the girl on the shoulder.

"Hey, don't look so sad. Now's the time to start and everyone has to start somewhere, right? So we'll get through this as a team and we're going to become the most powerful team in Konoha's history!"

The boy surprised himself again because that was also sincere; Sakura's face lit up with a smile and Naruto also saw a glint of hope in the Uchiha's dark eyes. An amused chuckle could be heard in the recesses of his mind. Kakashi chose this moment to make his opinion known.

"I'm glad to hear that you have such ambitions. We'll start training tomorrow, so meet me here at eight." The three students were about to nod before glaring at him.

"What?" the Jounin asked innocently.

"You're going to be late again, Kakashi-sensei!" Sakura admonished and Kakashi shrugged.

"Maybe I won't be. Alright, I've got something to go to now, so I'll see you three tomorrow."

The Jounin vanished again and left the three Genins to themselves. There was an awkward silence before Naruto spoke up.

"Hey, you guys want to eat ramen? I don't think I'm full from the bento. My treat, let's go celebrate!" Sakura nodded eagerly and then a pair of green and a pair of blue were trained on the Uchiha, who stood up and brushed his white pants.

"What are you two waiting for? The bento sucked."

Naruto laughed wholeheartedly and offered a tan hand to Sakura, who took it without a moment of hesitation. Sasuke sent the blond boy a smirk and the Jinchuuriki's bright blue eyes sparkled as he grinned back.

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Kakashi reappeared in a flurry of leaves in another open space that seemed to be infused with a certain melancholic serenity. In the middle of the plain stood a stone with multiple carvings and the Jounin whispered to the Memorial Stone as he sat beside it, "Hey, Obito."

The breeze was pleasant as it caressed the partially covered cheeks of the Jounin, who rested his head against the cool surface.

"I took on my first Genin team today and they are quite an interesting bunch." Kakashi was silent for a while as he enjoyed the peace. "And one of them… one of them is Minato-sensei's son. He looks so much like sensei… and he's the Jinchuuriki of the Kyuubi.

"You would think that a kid like that would grow up sad and cynical with everyone shunning and hating him but you should see him. Naruto is… he's strong. What a fitting name, Maelstrom, his personality is just like that. Just… he's just like you.

"But I just can't shake the feeling that there's more to him than it meets the eye. There's just something deeper, something more powerful. It's something innate and not the Kyuubi." Kakashi narrowed his eye but it curved when the Jounin continued introducing his team of Genins.

"I got a cousin of yours in my team as well. He's an interesting character but he's set on getting revenge. Sasuke is quite talented but he's so somber for a kid his age; I hope Naruto will be a good influence.

"The girl is a bit shaky and flaky since she's got this horrible crush on your cousin; yes, the Uchiha charm," Kakashi chuckled, "but she has pretty good chakra control, might turn out to be a medic Nin like Rin. It's just like us all over again but I can never be a sensei like Minato-sensei.

"You should see them; within an hour of working together, they were already talking about training and helping each other. It's nothing short of impressive and I can see that Sakura's motivated by her teammates. That's real teamwork and I have a feeling that they're going to be someone to watch for. Maybe they could cut it as a free-response team."

Kakashi looked into the clear sky whose colour was so similar to Naruto's eyes.

"Maybe this is a chance for me to atone for my mistakes; God knows I've made many…" Kakashi's lone brown eye filled with guilt as he sighed, knowing that his best friend's death was a consequence of one of his mistakes.

A breeze caressed his cheek a little more forcefully as if admonishing him for his unproductive moping. Kakashi laughed softly.

"I'll do my best to make them the best shinobis Konoha has ever seen. Thank you, Obito." With the curve of his visible eye, the copy-cat ninja left in better spirits. As he walked away from the memorial stone, a semi-transparent manifestation of a grinning teenaged boy with gravity-defying black hair and a tacky-looking pair of goggles appeared on the stone, staring at the retreating back of his visitor.

_Do your best, Kakashi… I've never regretted taking that blow for you… Just don't waste the chance that my sacrifice gave you and keep on living…_

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TBC…

YAY! Hope you guys like it!

Kage.


	3. No Ordinary Client

**Fūjin**

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People see Naruto as this idiotic, happy-go-lucky gaki but oh boy, they don't know how wrong they are. Beneath the mask is a rare genius brimming with unsurpassed potential and power. Follow him on his quest to become Konoha's strongest Shinobi: the Hokage. AU

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**Main Relationship Focus: **Team 7 Friendship  
**Genres: **Action & Adventure, Drama, Friendship and Suspense  
**Rating: **T for some violence and language  
**Length: **Epic  
**Warnings: **None yet.**  
Disclaimers: **This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by Kishimoto Masashi, various publishers including but not limited to VizMedia. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended. Oh, if I owned this series, I would have named the Yondaime Arashi :P  
**Beta(s):** Dray, Amber and her cute (kid-cute) son A.J

**A little background:** The title 'Fūjin' is actually the Japanese god of the wind and one of the eldest Shinto gods and yes, it's a reference to Naruto's bloodline limit and his future position of power.

**Additional Notes: **Below are the indicators of various formats used in this fic –

"_**Bold, Italic and in quotation marks" **_– Kyuubi**  
**_"Italics and in quotation marks" _– Naruto's responses or conversations with the Kyuubi  
_Italics and no quotation marks _– thoughts of various characters  
_*Italics and starred* _– sign language

**A/N: **I have recieved requests for romantic pairings but I don't think they are going to make an appearance in this part of the series (I've recently decided to do that) because this is a fic focusing on the dynamics of Team 7 and how I would have liked them to grow and mature as characters. It's a 'rite of passage' fic and they're pretty young at 11-12 to have romantic relationships (Yes, I know the whole 'they're killing already' argument but if I want to write a romantic relationship, I want both parties to be mature enough for the relationship to be realistic and meaningful).

From my point of view, Sasuke, Sakura and Naruto are too busy training and doing missions to even consider serious love and Sakura's not a Sasuke-fangirl anymore... they want to be professional shinobis and the best there is, I doubt love will be coming their way soon. However, there might be little seeds that might flower later. I am not promising anything and I apologize again if anyone was expecting something else.

On a happier note, I think I will be writing two sequels - both are going to be basically the same but one with yaoi and the other het (Anything to satisfy my readers, who I know are very diverse in their likes for fanfiction). I haven't decided on the pairings yet though, so review if you want to make your requests known :D supporting pairings are also open for discussion....

And without further ado, I present you Chapter 3 -

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Chapter III: No Ordinary Client

It was three months since Team Seven passed their exams and they had been training and busy with low-rank missions that often involved gardening, pet retrieval and other things that the Uchiha thought was beneath his station. But it was on these irrelevant missions that the three Genins bonded and built their teamwork.

Sasuke would never admit it but he liked these missions. He had grown used to Naruto's boisterousness and Sakura's mothering tendencies just as the other two had learned to tolerate Sasuke's stoniness and even began to understand his monosyllabic responses. It felt good to belong and the Uchiha had grown accustomed to the idea of him belonging with Team Seven and their eccentric Jounin sensei.

Right now, Sasuke was lying on the grass, eagled-sprawled beside an equally worn-out Sakura.

"Kaka...Kakashi-sen... sensei is crazy…" Sakura panted but she was enjoying the natural high the intense exercise gave her and Sasuke agreed with a breathy, "Hn."

"But… Naruto…Naruto is… crazier…" Both of the exhausted Genins lifted their heavy heads from their sprawled positions to spare a glance for their still-exercising teammate who was running up and down the large oak tree. Their Jounin sensei looked on with a curved eye.

"Where…" her sentence was punctuated with pants, "is he getting… all the chakra… from?"

A flash of envy made the Uchiha narrow his eyes, "He probably has naturally large reserves."

"Sasuke," the boy was slightly surprised that she dropped the suffix but it felt more natural, like they were really friends and teammates, "Naruto… he's not what we initially thought he was…"

"Hn."

"I have a feeling… a feeling that there's something more… like we don't really know him but it's him at the same time. There's this knowing, intelligent glint sometimes when you observe him while he isn't looking..."

"Hn."

"Sasuke! Can't you say something other than 'Hn'?"

Their stoic teammate smirked as he stared up into the calm blue skies, "Well, it's not like you're saying the wrong things; I didn't see a need to refute. I think we'll see the whole picture soon. Right now, let's just concentrate on training first."

"Oh," Sakura was pleasantly surprised and she felt warm for a moment but not the way she used to when she crushed on the Uchiha; there was friendship and comradeship and Sakura… Sakura liked this feeling better, "yeah, okay, but I'm glad we talked about this."

"Hn."

Sakura rolled her eyes but snickered and Sasuke's cool eyes softened slightly as they both turned their attention to the azure sky. The Uchiha felt something blossom in his chest as he enjoyed the tranquility and the feeling wasn't unlike what he used to feel when he was around his family before… before the massacre.

"Ne! Ne! You guys are tired already?!" Naruto, a bundle of energy as usual, bounded over to his resting teammates. Sakura sighed and Sasuke grunted.

"Naruto, not everyone has chakra reserves the size of yours," Kakashi's amused baritone cut in and the blond pouted.

"We're exhausted. Kakashi-sensei made us run two hundred laps up and down tree trunks. Then there was the water-walking exercise, but he modified it to running and then we had to do three hours of taijutsu exercises. We've been exercising for seven hours; everything's sore and I can't move my legs."

The blond's blue, blue eyes softened in pity and then he perked up and said, "Oh, okay! I'll help you with your soreness." He then proceeded to pull Sakura to a sitting position and then he knelt behind her.

Sakura was confused. "Naruto, what are you— oh, wow… that feels reeeaallly gooood…"

Naruto was massaging the girl while pouring chakra into his hands. Thanks to his extensive reading, the Jinchuuriki had a good grasp on anatomy and medicine. Right now, the boy was using extremely controlled chakra to mend the tiny tears the muscles had suffered after the intensive training session.

In his haste to help his hurting teammates, Naruto forgot about his sensei's ability to see chakra, and to say that Kakashi was surprised was an understatement. "Okay! Your shoulders and arms are done, anywhere else?"

"My legs are killing me!" Sakura groaned and Naruto looked distinctively uncomfortable.

"Your legs? Erm… Sakura-chan, you sure?"

The girl sighed and flapped her hand casually. "It's fine, I don't really mind. Anything to get me walking back home. Besides, I trust you."

Naruto paused, eyes widening and his throat going dry. "You trust me?" that plea for reconfirmation came out in a whisper and Kakashi frowned while Sakura just nodded slowly.

"Mhmm… I do." Naruto snapped out of his shock and proceeded to heal Sakura's sore legs. The whole experience was surreal and suddenly a lukewarm burst of emotion enveloped Naruto and the container smiled softly.

"I'll teach you this technique; I think with your chakra control, it'd be easier for you to master it."

It was then when it all clicked for Kakashi and the Jounin smirked inwardly. _You smart little bastard. Minato-sensei would be proud of you…_

"Teme?"

Sasuke declined, saying "I'm fine, and I still can walk home."

Naruto shrugged and replied, "Suit yourself."

"Alright, if we've established that, you guys can go home—" relief pooled into Sakura's face and Sasuke relaxed slightly, "—except for Naruto, I need to talk to you." The Jounin leveled a steady look at the blond. Sakura looked slightly worried but the Uchiha nodded.

"Come on, Sakura, I'll walk you back." The girl nodded and waved goodbye to her teacher and fellow teammate before following her dark-haired teammate back to the busier districts of Konoha. Then it was just Kakashi and Naruto, who had confusion written across his face. The Jounin broke the silence with a chuckle.

"You can drop the act now."

"What act, Kakashi-sensei? I don't know what you're talking about." The blond widened his eyes adorably and genuine confusion infused his big blue eyes. Kakashi chuckled again.

"I figured it out already, and drop the innocent act. You're actually pretty good, had me fooled for three months."

The young boy held on to his stance for another two minutes before sighing and then the innocence in the azure orbs vanished, allowing intelligence to surface. Kakashi marveled at the change of posture and carriage, Naruto straightened and there was this distinct aura of maturity that was unnerving to see coming from a twelve-year-old when it should belong to an adult three times his age.

"I was right," the Jounin whispered with wide eyes, "you were acting."

Naruto smiled wryly. "So how did you figure it out, Kakashi-sensei?"

"Hints from here and there… for example the first day, you didn't attack first and you sought help from Sasuke, then you balanced the dynamics of the group effortlessly with your Baka-persona and the last clue was today's massage. Nice chakra control, by the way; a normal child your age shouldn't have such knowledge and the chakra control to do so. You probably knew my identity the moment you saw me in the room and just so you know, the chalk took ages to get rid of."

Naruto laughed; it was so refreshing not having to pretend. "I should have expected you to figure it out since you are a tensai and all." Kakashi smiled.

"I guess you know the identities of your parents as well?"

The blond boy nodded and answered, "It wasn't that hard once I got a picture of him."

Kakashi nodded and his brown eye softened. "You have to know that your father did not expect things to turn out this way."

Naruto shrugged and replied, "Well, things usually don't go the way we want most of the time. I've learned to live with it."

"I think Minato-sensei would have been very proud of you." Naruto felt touched and smiled slightly. The Jounin ran a hand through his silver locks. "Your training will have to take a different turn now." Kakashi was surprised when the Jinchuuriki voiced his unwillingness.

"No. I want to grow alongside Sasuke and Sakura; I don't want to alienate myself by doing something different. I want to go through the same experiences as them, I… I want to build a relationship and maintain one properly..."

Kakashi softened slightly and then he nodded. "Alright."

"Besides, I can help them, give them subtle little pushes. I can be the idiot who challenges Sasuke to improve and push his limits while I could encourage Sakura. I don't want to draw attention to myself if possible."

The Jounin raised an eyebrow. "You think your loudness and pranks don't?"

Naruto scratched his head and Kakashi observed that that was a nervous habit regardless of personalities. "It's attention-grabbing in a different kind of way, and it makes my Baka-persona noticeable and thus covering anything else."

"Ma ma, it seems as if you've thought this through very carefully." Naruto shrugged again but his eyes dulled and hardened slightly.

"It's a necessity."

Kakashi nodded curtly. "I understand."

Wasn't he nearly the same when he was that age as well? But Naruto handled things far better than he did. Kakashi was ashamed of himself but was also in slight awe of his student.

However, he had something Naruto didn't have: experience.

Kakashi had been a shinobi for a little over twenty years, and amongst the two decades, one was spent as the ANBU captain of the best free-response squad then.

"Kakashi-sensei," it seemed like Naruto recognized this too, with the usage of the respectful address, "I would appreciate it if you kept this as a secret for the meantime."

"Fine—" the Jounin nodded, "—but a word of caution: It's not advisable to keep such a secret that would affect the team."

Naruto smiled and answered, "Well, I wasn't planning on keeping them in the dark forever; they will know or find out sooner or later. I heard them talking about it just now while they were lying on the grass. I wouldn't be surprised if Sasuke or Sakura figured it out by themselves."

The teacher's lone eye curved. "Yes, I wouldn't be surprised either, but they might take some time."

"That's fine by me, but the less people who know about this, the better. I would hate to have some of my plans ruined…" There was that calculating gleam in those cerulean eyes again and it was then when Kakashi realized the true potential of his blond student — he recognized Naruto's destiny.

Uzumaki Naruto was to be one of Konoha's Hokages and Kakashi might just be looking at the strongest of them all.

--------------------------------

"Ooohh, my cute little Tora-chan… I was so worried!"

The hefty wife of the Daimyo was squeezing the poor cat to the point where Team Seven was certain that the cat was turning blue. They finally understood why the cat had escaped…

The rich woman left with a hearty, "Thank you!"

"Now," the Hokage started, "Kakashi's Team Seven, your next duty is…" Sandaime looked at a piece of paper and then started listing some more inane missions.

"Hmm… babysitting an elder's grandson, shopping in the neighbouring village and helping with the potato digging at…"

_Okay, I've had it with stupid missions like this, it's been three months already… I don't want to chase after another stupid cat or dig up some more potatoes!_

"NO! NO! NO! NO! NO, THANK YOU!" Naruto burst out. "I WANT TO DO, YOU KNOW, A MORE INCREDIBLE MISSION! FIND US A BETTER ONE!!"

The Uchiha boy's agreement shone in his obsidian orbs, Sakura looked unsure while Kakashi looked resigned to the fact that this outburst was bound to happen. The Hokage looked at the Jinchuuriki patiently and then Iruka-sensei thundered, "YOU IDIOT! YOU ARE JUST A ROOKIE!!! EVERYONE STARTS OFF WITH THE SIMPLE DUTIES AND WORKS THEIR WAY UP!!" Naruto winced at the volume but he shouted right back as would his Baka-persona would.

"BUT! BUT! WE KEEP GETTING THE CRAPPIEST POSSIBLE DUTIES!!"

Kakashi looked ready to laugh but he kept up appearances by hitting Naruto on his head. "Be quiet!"

The Hokage sighed. "Naruto, it seems I have to explain to you what these duties are all about.

"Listen, everyday the village receives numerous requests, from babysitting to assassination. Each request is written down on these lists and divided into an A, B, C, D ranking based on difficulty. The village is also divided based on skill, starting with me to the Jou, Chuu and the Genins. The missions are then handed out by us at the top to the ninjas based on their abilities."

Sandaime took a puff from his pipe and blew out smoke rings before continuing, "And if the duty is completed successfully, we receive payment from the client. The three of you just recently became Genin so D-rank missions are perfect for you."

"BUT I'M NOT THE TROUBLEMAKING BRAT YOU STILL THINK I AM!"

The old man and Iruka looked slightly taken aback and then Sandaime took a long look at Naruto's determined stance.

"Okay, if you want it that much… I'll give you a C-rank mission. It's a protection mission of a certain individual." Kakashi looked a little white while Sasuke smirked.

_Time to act excited…_

"WHO?! WHO?! A feudal lord?! A princess?!"

The Hokage smiled wryly. "Calm down, I'm about to introduce him." The old shinobi raised his voice. "Please come in."

The door opened to reveal an old man with glasses and a bottle of cheap sake as he entered the room, wobbling slightly.

"What's this?" The man said it as if it were a greeting, and after he took a good look, the man scoffed, "They're all a bunch of super brats. Especially—" he shot Naruto a look, "—the shortest one with the super stupid-looking face. Are you really a shinobi?"

"I'LL KILL YOU!!" Naruto lunged and was held back by the Jounin.

Kakashi chortled. "What's the point of killing the person we're suppose to protect, idiot?"

Naruto snickered inwardly.

The man, soon to be Naruto's worst possible client ever, introduced himself, "I'm the super expert bridge builder, Tazuna. I expect you to provide me super protection until I get back to my country and complete the bridge."

"Alright, meet me at eight hundred hours at the North Gate; we'll be traveling for about three weeks, so pack accordingly.

"Hai, Sensei!"

Half an hour later, Team Seven regrouped at the North Gate. Tazuna was waiting rather impatiently as he took swings from his sake bottle.

"LET'S GO!"

Naruto was actually rather excited because it was his first time leaving the village. Tazuna shot Kakashi a dirty look. "Am I really going to be safe with this brat?"

The silver-haired man nodded. "I'm a Jounin, don't worry."

The blond boy shot the half-drunk bridge builder a disgruntled look. _The name Tazuna sounds familiar, but oh well, I'm in a good mood. _

"_**You sound like a country bumpkin leaving the village for the first time." **_Kyuubi laughed and Naruto pouted mentally.

"_Hey! I detest the bumpkin comment even if the rest of the sentence is true!" _The fox only gave him another laugh but Naruto grinned.

"HEY, OLD MAN! WATCH IT! ONE DAY I WILL TAKE ON THE SUPER ELITE SHINOBI TITLE HOKAGE!! MY NAME IS UZUMAKI NARUTO! REMEMBER IT!"

_Sheesh, I sound..._

"Hokage is the village's number-one shinobi, right?" Tazuna scoffed again. "I doubt someone like you could become it."

That really infuriated the boy. "SHUT UP!! I am prepared to do anything to become Hokage! Once I become Hokage, you will acknowledge me!!"

That actually rang true.

"No, I won't, you brat. Even if you did become Hokage."

Naruto narrowed his blue eyes and snarled mentally, _Why you…_

"I'LL KILL YOU!"

"Shut up, dobe." The Uchiha couldn't stand the noise anymore and Naruto scowled but stopped.

"Umm… Tazuna-san?" Sakura started politely.

"What?" The pink-haired girl was taken aback at the curt question but persisted at making conversation.

"You're from the Wave Country, right?"

The old man shot her an annoyed look. "What about it?"

Sakura quickly stopped asking the grumpy old man questions and turned to her Jounin sensei instead. "Kakashi-sensei, do they have ninjas in that country too?"

The lithe man shook his head. "No, not in Wave Country. But in most other countries, although the culture and the customs are different, hidden villages do exist and so do other shinobis."

"Oh, I read about those!"

The pink-haired girl then sucked Kakashi into a conversation discussing the relations between the Five Hidden Villages. Naruto suddenly felt the presence of a foreign chakra source.

"_Kyuu-sama, did you feel that?" _

"_**Wait a minute, Gaki. Let me verify that." **_

Through Naruto, the fox demon threw out her chakra and connected herself with Nature. After a few minutes of walking, Kyuubi spoke up again as she withdrew her chakra from the earth.

"_**Yes, there are intruders. Two male shinobis with a little more than average chakra capacities; they are of the water element."**_

"_So this Tazuna-san is no ordinary client." _

Catching his sensei's eye, Naruto proceeded to make a few hand signs exclusive to the ANBU. _*There are shinobis following us and this is not a C-mission anymore; question the bridge builder.* _

The Jounin widened his eye before replying in sign language, _*Alright.*_

"Tazuna-san." The man stopped and so did the entire entourage. Kakashi turned and leveled a cool gaze at the middle-aged man while Sasuke and Sakura shared a look. "Why did you lie about this mission?"

The bridge builder paused and then matched the question with another, "What do you mean by that?" Kakashi remained impassive. Seeing that his lie wasn't going to get him through, Tazuna then sighed and started to tell a story, "I don't have the money and it's due to our dire economic circumstances. This bridge I'm building is an attempt to end the poverty that has crippled our country for so long."

"That's a good thing, right?" Sakura asked and then Tazuna's eyes momentarily filled with hatred as he turned to Kakashi.

"Sensei, I need to talk to you."

"Sure, how about now?" Kakashi allowed some ire enter his voice.

"No, I want to talk to you in private." The man's eyes pleaded with the Jounin.

"You can talk to me about anything in front of my students."

Tazuna hesitated before relenting, "You're right, this job is most likely out of your duties. It turns out that a super dangerous man is after my life." The three Genins were enraptured by the conversation.

"Who?"

"You've probably at least heard his name before — the wealthy shipping magnate, Gatou."

"Gatou… from the Gatou Company? He's said to be one of the world's few extremely wealthy people."

The bridge builder sighed. "Yes, officially he runs a large shipping company but he secretly sells drugs and other illegal items, using shinobis and gangs to take over businesses and countries…

"It was about a year ago when he set his eyes on Wave country. Through money and violence, he quickly took control of the country's shipping industry. Gatou now has a monopoly on all business traffic in the country." Kakashi nodded.

"The only thing… the only thing he has to fear now is the completion of the bridge…"

"I see… since you're building the bridge, you're in the way of his monopoly. So that's why there are shinobis after you," Sakura deduced as she rubbed her chin. Naruto and Sasuke were quite surprised. _She's actually not that bad…_

"Wave Country is very poor, even the Daimyo don't have money. I think I just spent all of our savings hiring you people for a C-rank mission.

"Well, if you quit this mission now I will definitely be killed… but… DON'T WORRY ABOUT IT!" The man gave a strained laugh and continued, "If I die, my cute ten-year-old grandson will just cry for a few days and, oh yeah! My daughter will live a sad life hating Leaf shinobis forever!"

Naruto rolled his eyes. _He's taking us on a guilt trip…_

"_**It's working." **_The Jinchuuriki watched his sensei sweat-drop and Sakura tear up slightly at his story.

"But it won't be your fault. Not at all!"

Kakashi sighed. "I guess we have no choice. We will protect you at least until you get back to your country."

Tazuna's eyes glittered with victory and Naruto scowled inwardly.

"Alright, come on, let's get a boat."

The throng walked for another hour before reaching the waters where a lone sampan and a rower were waiting for them. They got onto the boat and there was no conversation until the rower informed Tazuna of their position, "We'll be there soon. It looks like we've avoided detection so far but we'll take the route that has vegetation, just in case. It will make it harder to spot us."

"Thanks."

The boat entered a dark tunnel, and when they got reacquainted with the sun again, Team Seven was met with the beautiful scenery of healthy greenery, calming blue waters and cooling breezes.

They got off on a makeshift harbour and the boatman hastily bid his goodbyes, "This is it for me. Goodbye and good luck."

Tazuna nodded. "Yeah, thank you once again." And then he turned to the shinobi team. "Okay! Get me home safely!"

"Yes, Yes." Kakashi's eye drooped slightly as he thought, _If we get attacked again, it will surely not be a Chuunin but a Jounin._

His blond student had the same thought running through his head. _"Kyuu-sama, can I borrow your senses for a while?"_

"_**Sure, Kit."**_

"_Thanks."_

Naruto felt a burst of chakra in his retinas, ears and the base of his nose as the fox lady merged their senses for a while. Suddenly, an influx of sensory information hit Naruto's brain as the twelve-year-old's eyesight, hearing and sense of smell sharpened dramatically.

If his teammates found his newfound silence unnerving, nobody said anything as they were on full alert mode themselves. Kakashi, though, noticed a slight change in the blond's retinas as he realized that they were slightly catlike.

Sasuke suddenly let a kunai fly and Naruto and Kakashi checked it out. They found a dead rabbit with a white coat. The container frowned and then gave his sensei a look. Kakashi nodded and then walked back to their entourage. Naruto suddenly shot his sensei a series of hand signs.

_*That's a snow rabbit and yet it's spring, what's with its colour?*_

_*This is a rabbit that's been kept in a cage for the purpose of body switching so they're here already and you don't need to shout with the hand signs, be more subtle.*_

_*Wait! I smell something…*_ Naruto paused and sniffed the air, he then widened his eyes and hurried through another set of hand signs, _*There. In the trees, four o'clock. In the vegetation.* _

_*Okay, pretend that you don't know any better and walk back to the team calmly*_

"It's just a dead rabbit, it's absolutely nothing to worry about." Naruto grinned but his serious blue eyes said otherwise. At the last part of the sentence, Sakura stiffened slightly but relaxed as she smiled while Sasuke 'hn'ed and nodded, but a glint in his black eyes registered the reality of the situation.

_Not bad, thank God we worked out a series of code phrases before we came here…_

"EVERYONE GET DOWN!" Kakashi unexpectedly thundered and ducked. Naruto pulled down the bridge builder while everyone else made themselves flat against the floor. To almost everyone's horror, a large sword the length of a full-grown man cut through the air.

"Whoa!"

The sword embedded itself into a thick tree trunk with a resounding thud and Kakashi jumped onto his feet. Team Seven regained their balanced and assumed battle stances. Then a very tall man with bandages concealing half his face and his entire torso appeared and balanced himself on the hilt of his sword. Kakashi narrowed his eye and Naruto widened his eyes once he recognized the foreign shinobi.

_That's the Devil of the Hidden Mist, Momochi Zabuza, one of the Hidden Mist's Seven Swordsmen!_

Oh crap.

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TBC…

Hope you guys enjoyed this chapter!

Kage.


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